Staff report from Alachua County Sheriff’s Office release

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – William James Kiefer, 50, has been arrested on 13 child pornography charges.

On March 30, 2025, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTip from Microsoft regarding suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM) discovered via reverse image search.

On April 9, 2025, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Detective J. Dawson, who is a member of the joint Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, confirmed the material was CSAM and identified the IP address as linked to the suspect, 50-year-old Gainesville resident William Kiefer.

On May 8, 2025, a search warrant was executed at Kiefer’s residence and investigators collected 68 electronic devices.

On May 20, 2025, a second search warrant was issued for digital forensic review of the devices.

An initial review of one device revealed over 22,000 files. Approximately 100 of those files have been confirmed to contain CSAM. A full analysis is ongoing.

Kiefer was arrested and charged with 12 counts of Possession of Child Pornography and one count of Digital Transmission of Child Pornography. The warrant for his arrest set bail at $1,300,000.

Additional charges are pending the forensic review.

If you suspect child exploitation, please report it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or CyberTipline.org.

We are committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community.